Install-EssentialApps

An interactive terminal UI for bulk-installing software on fresh Windows machines. Select only what you need, run once, walk away.

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Software Installer
Select applications to install:

> [ ] Acrobat Reader
  [ ] Google Chrome
  [ ] Teams
  [ ] K-Lite Codec Pack
  [ ] 7-Zip
  [ ] Microsoft Office 365
  [ ] Azure Information Protection Viewer
  [ ] .NET Desktop Runtime
  [ ] Dell SupportAssist

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  [Space]       Select/Deselect
  [Up/Down]     Move up/down
  [Enter]       Install
  [q]           Quit

flowchart TD
    A([Run-Install.bat\nUAC elevation]) --> B["TUI menu\n↑↓ navigate · Space select · Enter to install"]
    B -- "Q" --> QUIT([Quit — no changes])
    B -- "Enter" --> C[Install apps one by one]
    C --> D{Installer exit code?}
    D -- "0 / 3010 / 1641" --> OK["✔ Logged OK"]
    D -- "other" --> FAIL["✘ Logged FAIL\n(continue to next app)"]
    OK --> E{More apps?}
    FAIL --> E
    E -- Yes --> C
    E -- No --> F["Show restart prompt\n(5 s · default: No)"]
    F --> DONE([Session complete])

    classDef success fill:#2d6a2d,color:#fff,stroke:#1a3d1a
    classDef failure fill:#8b1a1a,color:#fff,stroke:#5a0d0d
    classDef warning fill:#7a5500,color:#fff,stroke:#4d3600
    class OK,DONE success
    class FAIL failure
    class QUIT warning

Loading

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✅ Requirements

• Windows 10 / 11
• Administrator rights — Run-Install.bat handles UAC elevation automatically
• Installer files placed under Software\Essentials\ next to the script (see Customizing the App List below)

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🚀 Usage

1. Copy the script folder (including Software\Essentials\ with your installers) to the target machine — USB, network share, or local disk all work.
2. Double-click Run-Install.bat and accept the UAC prompt.
3. Use ↑ / ↓ to navigate, Space to select or deselect apps, Enter to begin installation.
4. Answer the restart prompt when done (default: no restart).

If you decline the UAC prompt, the script will display a message and wait — it will not silently close.

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📦 Customizing the App List

The $applications array near the top of Install-EssentialApps.ps1 defines what appears in the menu. Each entry is a hashtable with three keys:

Key	Description
Name	Display name shown in the menu
Path	Path to the installer, relative to the script folder
Args	Silent install arguments passed to the installer

Adding an app — copy any existing entry and update all three keys.

Disabling without removing — prefix the entry with # to comment it out. It stays in the file for reference.

All Path values resolve relative to $PSScriptRoot — the folder containing the script — so the same script works from a USB drive, a network share, or a local path without changes.

🔇 Silent Install Arguments

Silent arguments suppress the installer UI so no clicks are required. How to find them:

Method	Details
Help flag	Run installer.exe /? or installer.exe --help in a terminal
MSI-based	/quiet /norestart (fully silent) or /qb! /norestart (minimal UI)
NSIS-based	/S
Inno Setup	/VERYSILENT /NORESTART /SUPPRESSMSGBOXES
WiX / Burn	/quiet or /silent
Vendor docs	Search <app name> silent install parameters or unattended install
Reference	ss64.com — msiexec flags · silentinstallhq.com

Exit codes: 0 = success. 3010 = success, reboot required. 1641 = reboot already initiated. Any other code is treated as a failure and logged.

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⚙️ How It Works

1. The TUI menu loops until at least one app is selected and Enter is pressed.
2. Selected apps are passed to Install-Application one by one.
3. Each installer is launched with Start-Process -Wait — the script blocks until the process exits.
4. The installer's exit code is checked; anything outside the known success codes is thrown as an error.
5. A progress bar tracks overall completion.
6. On finish, a 5-second restart prompt appears (default: no restart).

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📋 Logging

Every session appends to Install-EssentialApps.log in the same folder as the script:

2026-05-03 14:00:01  --- Install session started ---
2026-05-03 14:00:01  START  Google Chrome
2026-05-03 14:00:08  OK     Google Chrome
2026-05-03 14:00:08  START  7-Zip
2026-05-03 14:00:09  FAIL   7-Zip — File not found: ...
2026-05-03 14:01:30  --- Session complete: 1/2 installed ---

Log entries older than 90 days are automatically trimmed at the start of each session. The log file is excluded from the repo via .gitignore.

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⚠️ Notes

• ASCII art — A placeholder comment in Display-Menu marks where you can drop in your own Write-Host @"..."@ art block.
• Dell Command Update — The entry and its post-install configuration function (Configure-DellCommandUpdate) are present but commented out. To activate, uncomment the $applications entry and the Configure-DellCommandUpdate call inside Install-Application.
• Teams sideload — The Teams entry uses the bootstrapper + .msix sideload method. Both teamsbootstrapper.exe and MSTeams-x64.msix must be present in Software\Essentials\.